Held by the scruff of her neck, Zhou Xiaoxiao dangled in front of Chen Ye like a ragdoll.

Her eyes bulged as she stared directly into the massive face looming before her.

It was a human face, but grotesque and titan-sized. Its lips curled into an eerie, mocking grin, the corners stretching unnaturally wide until the skin seemed ready to tear.

Then, the mouth unhinged.

Inside that cavernous maw, there were no beastly fangs or serrated ridges. Instead, there were rows upon rows of flat, human molars. Layer upon layer of grinding teeth lined the throat, spiraling down into the darkness.

Terror clenched Zhou Xiaoxiao’s heart like a cold vise.

Since she was old enough to understand the world, she had known she was special. Her sister was a superstar, and Zhou Xiaoxiao was destined to be one too.

With her stunning looks, she had garnered a legion of fans before even making her debut. While her peers pulled all-nighters studying for dead-end jobs, she had already transcended the life of an ordinary commoner.

On set, directors spoke to her softly. At home, her parents treated her like a princess. Even the legendary “filth” of the entertainment industry couldn’t touch her; she was protected, cherished, and poised for the throne of top-tier stardom.

She believed she was the main character.

Then the apocalypse hit.

It struck without warning. She and Zhou Lan had barely escaped the film set with their lives.

Joining the convoy had felt like a safety net. Her sister, ever the pragmatist, tried to secure their position by currying favor with the strong—specifically Chen Ye.

Zhou Xiaoxiao had despised that decision.

That was why she had demanded the gasoline back. In her mind, relying on oneself was the only truth. She clung to her dignity and her identity as “Zhou Xiaoxiao.” She didn’t need to suck up to a man, not even a Sequence Beyonder.

She hadn’t shifted her mindset. She was still living in the old world.

But the apocalypse didn’t care about dignity. Unless you had the strength to back it up, pride was just a fast track to the grave.

Now, staring into the abyss of grinding molars, her reality shattered.

A warm, wet sensation spread through her lower body. Urine soaked her jeans. Snot and tears streamed down her face, ruining her delicate features and turning her makeup into a grotesque mask.

Facing death, she didn’t know if she felt more regret or sheer, mind-numbing terror.

THUD!

A heavy, muffled impact of flesh against flesh resonated through the air.

The massive human face in front of her contorted in pain, the entire head knocking violently to the side.

The grip on her neck vanished. Zhou Xiaoxiao collapsed onto the sand, her limbs turning to jelly. She couldn’t move a muscle.

“Miss Zhou! Run!”

A hand grabbed her arm.

Through her blurred vision, she recognized the young man—Little Fu, a naive university student from the school bus.

Little Fu dragged her limp body backward, his face pale with panic.

Xu Lina snapped out of her shock. Fear still danced in her eyes, but she didn’t flee alone. She rushed over, grabbed Zhou Xiaoxiao’s other arm, and helped Little Fu haul the girl away from the danger zone.

Zhou Xiaoxiao glanced back.

When she saw the full form of the monster, the sliver of courage she had just regained evaporated into pure horror.

“Careful! This… Anomaly… is tough!”

Iron Lion’s voice boomed, muffled and heavy.

The big lug had activated his Titan Sequence again. He stood three meters tall, a mountain of muscle and bone.

It was his fist that had just smashed the monster’s face aside. If not for him, Zhou Xiaoxiao would have been chewed paste by now.

The giant shook his hand, grimacing in pain. Punching the creature had been like hitting a steel wall.

Chen Ye retreated rapidly, putting distance between himself and the beast.

Only now did he get a clear look at the enemy.

It was a scorpion. A colossal scorpion, easily the size of a heavy-duty dump truck.

But the horror lay in its head. Where the arachnid’s face should have been, a giant, pale human face was grafted onto the carapace.

The face grimaced in pain, its expression uncannily human.

Massive pincers snapped in the air, and a black, venomous stinger held high above its back quivered with menace.

A Human-Faced Scorpion.

Chen Ye exhaled a thick stream of smoke. The gray haze swirled around him, forming a defensive barrier three meters wide. His eyes were sharp, scanning for weaknesses.

His right hand gripped the spectral willow branches, while his left twirled the Blood Resentment Machete.

“Captain, can you handle this or not?”

Nana’s voice cut through the tension, dripping with disdain.

“Aren’t you a Pathfinder? How did you let an Anomaly ambush us? Is this how you lead?”

The long-legged girl stood with her hand on her sword hilt, looking at Chu Che like he was an incompetent subordinate.

In front of the entire survivor group, she gave the Captain zero face.

Chu Che felt the blood rush to his head. Humiliation burned his cheeks, but he knew this wasn’t the time for infighting.

He gritted his teeth and forced a bitter smile. “I don’t know! Maybe Anomalies can grow and evolve too!”

He pointed at the beast. “It’s still daytime. The sun is suppressing its power. You’d better kill it before the Blood Moon rises. If you don’t…”

“We’re all dead!”

The Pathfinder Sequence granted extreme sensitivity to Anomalous auras. Chu Che could feel the creature’s energy being dampened by the solar rays.

But if night fell…

The surrounding survivors were falling apart.

Some had wet themselves for the second time, the stench of ammonia mixing with the dry desert air.

Others knelt in the sand, eyes glazed over, kowtowing rhythmically to the Human-Faced Scorpion and muttering incoherent prayers.

Chen Ye’s mouth twitched into a wry smile.

Damn it…

Do we really have to go head-to-head with this thing?

I’ve only been Awakened for a few days.

“Looks like we have no choice but to fight for our lives!”

Nana drew the longsword from her waist. Her playful demeanor vanished, replaced by the cold focus of a warrior.

Iron Lion slammed his fists together, the metallic clang echoing like a war drum. A crazed grin split his face.

“I’ll test this monster’s weight. You two find an opening!”

The moment battle began, the gentle giant receded, and his alternate personality—the battle maniac—took the wheel.

Chen Ye finished his cigarette and immediately flicked his lighter to ignite another.

“Motherfucker. Is this my welcome gift for Awakening?”

He took a deep drag and exhaled.

The thick smoke didn’t dissipate. Instead, it churned and twisted as if alive, spiraling around him like a Dharma Protector, a sentinel of gray mist. The barrier grew denser, expanding until Chen Ye’s figure was almost completely obscured.

This was his first real battle as a Sequence Beyonder.

Why did he feel a strange flutter of… anticipation?

In his hand, the Blood Resentment Machete seemed to vibrate.

Right. The item description said that slaughtering Anomalies and absorbing their resentment could trigger a qualitative change in the weapon.

Time to see if the System was lying.